Friends re-United for Jennings

James Jennings is desperate to get one over his former Cambridge United team-mates as he prepares for a rapid reunion with them tomorrow.

The defender left the R Costings Abbey Stadium 15 days ago for their Blue Square Bet Premier rivals Mansfield for an undisclosed fee.

And the left-back believes beating sides such as United is crucial if his new employers are to maintain their push for a return to the Football League.

"It’s a bit of a weird one," said Jennings. "I’ve played against some of my old clubs before, but not so soon.

"When I was at Kettering I played against Altrincham – it’s always good playing against your old club because you want to impress and play against your mates.

"We’ve got three games in hand and we want to get as close to the top as possible. Winning games against teams like Cambridge at home are a must."

The U’s head coach Richard Money spoke of his need to reduce the wage bill as the club works towards having a smaller yet competitive playing budget next season after the midweek home defeat to Alfreton.

But Jennings said his departure was purely for personal reasons and that he will always have happy memories of his spell at the Abbey.

"Me leaving was a case of getting back home," said Jennings. "I had three great years at Cambridge and people helped me settle in. But not getting home to Manchester often for that long was hard.

"The opportunity (to move to Mansfield) came along and it was something I had to think about. I didn’t want to leave as it’s a good club with a good fan base, and I thought we had a good chance of reaching the play-offs.

"So it wasn’t for footballing reasons at all, it was all about family reasons. I can commute to Mansfield from Manchester.

"I’m grateful to Richard Money and Jez (George, director of football) for not turning it down, and I’d like to say thanks to the Cambridge fans and the club for supporting me and helping me during my time there."